5 Netflix Documentary Picks for Vegan Viewers

Even if you don’t ever need to watch another video to convince you that the way most people eat in this country is S.A.D., maybe you like to stay connected to the latest titles to learn new tricks to the vegan lifestyle. All of the documentaries listed here – available on Netflix – provoke thought about the profound effects of our everyday choices — and they’ll help to stimulate dialogue with other viewers.

Vegucated (2010): I was lucky enough to catch this on the big screen when the director, Marisa Wolfson, came to Columbus on her Vegucated tour! The Vegucated crew follows three New Yorkers, from a variety of backgrounds, who go vegan for six weeks to discover the health benefits and bite off more than they can chew when they learn about the dirty side of the meat and dairy industries.

Forks Over Knives (2011): Two doctors, Dr. T. Colin Campbell, from Cornell University, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic, share their personal and professional journeys of discovering dietary links between animal-based foods and chronic disease. They show how plant-based foods prevent and even reverse disease, bringing in other experts from the field.

Earthlings (2007): Earthlings dares you to watch it. This hard-hitting documentary, featuring Joaquin Phoenix, uses graphic footage to open people’s eyes to how animals are exploited for human uses, and all 95 minutes will keep your fists clenched around your damp tissues. Grab the tissue box, leave the snacks, take a deep breath, and prepare to be transformed!

The Cove (2009): This Oscar-winning film, shot by courageous activists, opens a huge window into one Japanese town where an industry herds and kills dolphins for meat. The film follows a former dolphin trainer for the TV show Flipper who wants to redeem himself for exploiting these highly intelligent and sensitive animals. Again, grab the tissue box!

Crazy Sexy Cancer (2007): The charismatic Kris Carr shares her journey through cancer to optimal health. She takes viewers through juicing, yoga, diet and all kinds of lifestyle changes with playful humor. There’s even a little romance in it. :)

Kudos to these instant Netflix picks for being informative, entertaining, and generally awesome:

Beyond the Myth: A Film About Breed Discrimination (2010): This documentary challenges the myth that Pit Bulls are inherently violent, dangerous dogs, and challenges the laws that discriminate against the breed. I added this title that is not about animals used for food, because this issue is close to my heart, as I have two rescued pit mixes as sweet and loving family members.

Photo credit: used with permission, copyright Get Vegucated LLC

Want Even More Movies?

You don’t need to subscribe to Netflix or another streaming service to find a vegan film! We’ve created Vegan Flicks™, a vegan movie database filled with vegan movies, TV shows, and DVDs. Browse our large and comprehensive selection for movies for every argument: health, environment, ethics – it’s all covered. From thought-provoking documentaries to animal-friendly kids movies, we have them all. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. You’ll find stories and facts to help you advocate for animals every day.

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This article was written by a guest expert from the vegan community, Amy Bradley. In addition to her deeply-held vegan values, Amy is vegan for the more practical reason that the vegan bakery is closest to her home. She has been vegan and an animal rights activist for 14 years and loves to adopt and foster companion animals. The furry members of her household outnumber the humans, so the dogs take over the couch while she, her husband and son pet them from their place on the floor. Amy taught high school for ten years and works in education. Her students informed her that she not only wears her veganism on her sleeve (literally) but shouts it from a megaphone (occasionally).

Hi Miri, thanks for letting us know. This article was written a few years ago so I’m sure things are a bit different now. That said, please be sure to check out Vegan Flicks (link above) for a large list of vegan documentaries available outside of Netflix. Thanks for the comment! :)

Miri

I just thought you might want to know that none of those films (apart from Vegucated) are on Netflix anymore

dms61757

Earthlings.com
Gary Yourofskys best speech you will ever hear
The Mad Cowboy
Philip Wollen, Animals should be off the menu

Thanks, this is pretty cool. I’d never heard of him before, but he is certainly an inspiration! Almost seven months clean-eating vegan now, and feeling the best I’ve ever felt in my entire life. Vegan power! :)

VeganFIlmmaker

What a wonderful article!

If you anyone is interested in learning more about and exploring the Vegan lifestyle through film, you should take a look at the movie: Jim Morris: Lifelong Fitness. Jim Morris is a 78 year old vegan body builder and his inspiring story can be found here:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUtv4slpm-U

I now have a list to watch for a sequel post…thanks! There are a few I haven’t even heard of, which is excititng.

Allyson Dwyer

Great list! Another great great sort-of documentary I saw on Netflix was an episode of 30 Days, where a hunter lived with an animal activist. By the end of the 30 days he was helping out at a sanctuary and was moved by the rescue of an abandoned cow. Great episode

http://veganmachine.com Kaycee

Some other great ones:

A Beautiful Truth
Dying to Have Known
Food Inc.
Food Matters
Hungry for Change
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead